Two Summer Goals for Physical and Mental Well-Being

May was a great month but yesterday, May 31, my head was in a tailspin, because June is mind-bogglingly full.

In June, My husband and I move back to South Bend, I start a brand new job, we celebrate one year married, we close and move into our first house, Rugy turns 6 months old, and we (hopefully) add a baby kitty to our little family. Talk about a kick-off to summer.

Before the start of every month (or admittedly, on the first day of every month, when I look at the calendar and remember), I write down a few goals for the month ahead. Nothing too crazy, but a few things I strive to achieve in the one twelfth sliver of the year that’s newly visible on my calendar.

May got away from me.

I had all these aspirations for the month of May:

Read 30 minutes of “fun” reading material four of seven nights a week.

Sign up and start training for a running race.

Start a no-added-sugar streak

Get my workout in before work for four of every five weekdays.

Psh, OKAY, Mariah. I “kicked sugar to the curb” a solid four of thirty-one days, and I barely made it to work on time each morning, between the interviews, late night research, and puppy training.

I look at those goals for May, and I feel very much behind. Right now, I’m just trying to keep my head above water.

But then I take a deep breath and remind myself what I did accomplish:

I kept the house spick and span so George could finish up his finals, graduate with his law degree, and begin studying for the bar.

We bought a house.

I went through a month-long interview process and finally accepted a job at Notre Dame that I’m very excited about.

I planned and hosted an off-the-wall, cabin-full surprise weekend for my husband’s birthday.

Rugy trotted for at least a mile alongside me for all thirty-one days, as I kept my streak alive (410 days as of 6/1!).

It wasn’t everything I intended to accomplish at the outset of May, but it’s something nonetheless.

This month, I aim to combat that. I am committing to practicing meditation at least 10 minutes a day for all of June. (Headspace offers ten ten-minute sessions for free, if you want to jump on-board for the first 10 days! I utilized their app in grad school to recenter my mind. Give that link a click to learn more!)

2. No added sugar

As a self-proclaimed sugar addict — not just a sweet tooth, but full-blown addiction — this goal has been on my to-do list for a while.

I know that I’ll feel better and think clearer without that added sugar in my blood stream, and I’ll make room for nutrient-dense food when I’m not filling my stomach with simple carbs. Plus, no more being “hangry”!

The sugar isn’t doing me any good either. It’s most likely being stored as fat, and I know how hard my pancreas is working to produce insulin to combat those daily spikes in sugar intake. Type 2 Diabetes? No, thank you.

The logic is there — now I need to make the rubber meet the road.

And I’m enlisting you, In Motion with RPM readers, to join me and keep me accountable. This month, alongside our other weekly posts, I’ll be providing an update on my June challenge, so you can keep up with all the adventures and figurative mountains I’ll be climbing. So make sure to check back with me here next week!

Do you have any goals set for the month of June? How do you plan to stay sane amongst the summer craziness?

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Comments 2

It’s as if I wrote the paragraph about sugar myself! I’m with ya Mariah, starting Monday it’s time to break the addiction and reduce added sugars from the diet trying to stay under 24 g’s per day. Good luck!!!